Cop Cop: Breaking the Fixed System of American Policing

by Mac Muir, Greg Finch

This groundbreaking work takes readers deep into the world of police oversight and reveals what really happens when everyday people try to hold the police accountable.

When you think about the police, who do you think of: Do you think of one officer, or the police as an institution? From movies and TV to the real world, a police presence looms over most conflict. But if there was a defining feature of the 2020 protests over the murder of George Floyd, it was the collective confusion about how America got to this point. Despite fragmented media coverage about police unions, militarization, and systemic racism, the average citizen’s knowledge remained hazy on what exactly police officers had been doing all along. It’s probably different than you would expect.

There is indeed a “Blue Wall of Silence”, but for the first time, it is possible to get behind it without being the police. The authors were senior investigators at the largest police oversight agency in America, tasked with policing the police in New York City. They are our eyes on the inside, and this book takes us into their world.

Cop Cop lays bare the web of real cases investigated by the authors over nearly a decade working for the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB). As the authors combine their unique perspectives as police misconduct investigators, they provide a new way of framing the history of policing, tethering a story that begins in the fields of Ireland and the plantations of Barbados, courses along the cobblestone paths of Charleston, South Carolina, and London, England, flows through the heart of New York City, and bleeds into the present day.

As they unravel cases ranging from stops and frisks to chokeholds and shootings, they illuminate the overwhelming challenges faced by victims of police misconduct and officers alike, spurning both “Defund the Police” and “Blue Lives Matter” as they build a new argument for six concrete solutions to fix American policing.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Crime

384 pages, Hardcover

Published April 29, 2025

Reviews

[Katie Lowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, a fresh take on police accountability and reform. This book walks readers through the unknown world of civilian oversight, highlights why and how holding the police accountable is so hard, and provides realistic solutions all based on first hand experience with the largest police department in the US. A gripping read that is equal parts education, history, and storytelling. The authors share real cases they’ve investigated, bringing the victims of police misconduct to the forefront and building a captivating through line throughout each part. Would highly recommend for anyone who interacts with or thinks about our criminal justice system.

[First · Rating 5 out of 5]

I work in government oversight - this book is the perfect distillation of police watchdog agencies in America today. While we should be looking to a major metropolitan like NYC to lead by example, this book demonstrates how devastatingly ineffective and insufficient the oversight measures are there, and how the CCRB continues to accept a piss-poor system that gets worse and worse over time. What a remarkable disservice to the public.

I was particularly interested in the idea of a truth and reconciliation committee, which is one of the solutions I felt addressed the 'policing' praoblem with the breadth and depth it deserves. America does not even understand how viciously and broadly we are policed on a daily basis, and a committee such as the one described in the final chapters of the book would help the public understand the trauma of the last 70+ years of modern policing. Like meeting another person who suffered the same abuses your ex put you through and realizing they used the same tired lines (furtive movements, officer safety, L-shaped bulge) to justify the same shitty behavior (violence, abuse, disdain, violations of the fourth amendment).

Overall a very well written and thorough account of the failure of police oversight on the biggest police and most militarized police force in America. I hope to see action taken by electeds and community members alike, and to see more writing from the authors.

[Andrea Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by two former investigators from the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) for the NYPD, this book pulls the curtain back and provides a look behind the blue wall from the perspective of a civilian. A lot of this book was, though well written, very disheartening. Endless examples of police corruption and protecting their own, it does not instill a lot of hope for those who would like to see some police reform. They discuss the systems in place that encourage police to meet specific data metrics like a focus on making more arrests instead of actually serving the community or addressing crime (looking at you, Rudy Giuliani).

The authors do provide some proposed reforms that could result in a new police culture, but unfortunately I feel it’s unlikely this advice will be heeded. This book was very insightful and really drew on the experience of the investigators, and I would definitely recommend this for anyone interested in this subject matter.

I highlighted too many quotes to post them all, so I will wrap up this review with this one that I feel like encompasses the story of this book: “[P]olicing has failed to study its own history. It’s a profession fixated on short-term solutions to long-term problems, even when those solutions lead to catastrophe in the long term.”

Thank you to Cop Cop HQ for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kirstie Guderski · Rating 4 out of 5]

WILD. Very long but very good. Learned a lot. Gave me a clearer idea of how to explain the many faults of policing.

[Marc Lichtman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’ve read probably more than half this book, and it’s pretty worthless—at times crossing over to stupidity. First off, It has a very narrow focus. The two authors were hired and worked for a few years for the Civilian Complaint Review Board, which is supposed to punish some level of police abuse in New York City. Surprise, surprise, It isn’t a even a civilian board—it has cops on it. And while occasionally some cops lose some vacation time for abusing civilians, it has very little impact. Almost the whole book is simply about their limited experience. And just as well, because when they try to generalize, they make fools of themselves. Like most “educated Americans” they are only capable of looking at their own country at most, if not just their own city. They see “race” but are oblivious to the category of social class. Nothing about the police role in fighting trade unions. And they seem to accept that so-called police unions are actually unions. But cops are not workers. They are a direct part of the repressive apparatus of the capitalist state. (Allow me to suggest Lenin’s The State and Revolution).

The authors come up with a whole theory of the role of Irish Americans, which is full of contradictions. They basically can’t distinguish between Irish revolutionaries and Irish counterrevolutionaries. They go back to what they call the Plantation of Munster, which anyone with even the slightest knowledge knows was the Plantation of Ulster! Was this book edited by an illiterate?

Many Irish Americans have played a particular role in US history; being for long periods on the bottom rungs of employed workers and fearful of any rise in the status of Blacks which they believe might push them further down. This was true during the Civil War draft riots and continued to be true of other Irish Americans who chose to serve the ruling rich as cops. But my background is Jewish, and while Jews were generally more liberal, many I knew from family or coworkers bought into the same kind of theory. Blacks could only advance rapidly by pushing Jews down. And some Blacks themselves came to accept this idea—Hence Farrakhan and others whose main program was Jew-hatred.

It is also necessary to note the hatred of Roman Catholics, especially of the Irish ones, promoted by bourgeois politicians who were widely known as Know-Nothings. Capitalism always seeks scapegoats, and today, once again, there is a major rise of Jew-hatred, and no it has nothing to done with any crimes, real or alleged committed by Israel. I am a communist from a Jewish background, and I could care less whether any Jew-hater (the term anti-Semite is too inaccurate and too polite) is a “leftist” or a “rightist.” Down the road both will end up as Nazi-style-fascists. Some don’t have very far to go—supporting Hamas, whose whole purpose is extermination of Jews! Some liberal Democrats are beginning to sound like No-Nothings—None of this crap ever totally goes away.

And if one thinks Irish Americans are the problem, how do they explain the fact that cop brutality is a world-wide phenomenon—or were they unaware of it? Do they know that given the history of colonialism, most of the world has oppressed nationalities and/or immigrant workers. And that these, plus political and trade union activists are targets of police attacks.

The movement protesting the murder of George Floyd started as one of the most promising social movements in many years. Towns that were virtually all-white started having protests.
But this was a problem for Black Lives Matter groups, all of which are tied to the Democratic Party and tied to the crackpot woke ideas which insist that whites are “born racist.” Soon significant sectors of the movement destroyed itself by using violence, vandalism, and race-baiting. They turned George Floyd into a hero, which he was not. Some victims become heroes, but he was a petty criminal, and while Malcolm X showed the possibilities--nothing like this happened.

Then started in the slogans for “abolish the police” or “defund the police,” which could mean whatever you wanted it to. “Abolish the police” would usually be considered an anarchist slogan, but these weren’t anarchists. They were members of the Democratic Party, who having no historical knowledge whatsoever, branded Donald Trump a “fascist.” Their slogans weren’t really directed at the cops any longer, they were, like so many other protests happening centered on getting rid of one individual and thereby helping to save the system. I hate cops, and many African American and other workers hate the cops, but abolition? In actual politics, it would mean handing over police functions to the major drug gangs.

For those interested in how to change society, let me just make a few reading suggestions: Besides the Lenin, Marx and Engels—The Communist Manifesto. Let me also suggest the following: Are They Rich Because They're Smart?; The Clintons' Anti-working-class Record: Why Washington Hates Working People; Labor, Nature, and the Evolution of Humanity: The Long View of History; Malcolm X, Black Liberation, and the Road to Workers Power; Women in Cuba: The Making of a Revolution within the Revolution; The Low Point of Labor Resistance is Behind Us: The Socialist Workers Party Looks Forward; The Turn to Industry: Forging a Proletarian Party. There are hundreds more....

[Zoe Ngan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an important and deeply infuriating read that exposes the difficulties of holding police officers accountable. It’s an insider’s look at police oversight through cases investigated by former CCRB investigators, revealing the hidden dynamics of policing & its historical roots. 

From the outset, it becomes clear that there’s an erosion of the basic sense that officers and the public share a common humanity.

The book shows how officers can come to see certain communities as the “inferior other,” and how those communities, in turn, begin to view officers as a force that's indifferent to their wellbeing. Recognising wrongdoing is essential, but it’s equally important to avoid reproducing the same patterns of dehumanisation we’re critiquing. One of the book’s strengths, I think, is its ability to address harm without reducing anyone to a single role or stereotype.

I find myself struggling to hold two truths at once: I feel both anger and powerlessness at the abuses the authors describe, yet I also believe that framing entire groups as villains only entrenches the “us versus them” dynamic at the heart of these problems.

I’m not excusing abuse or minimising the harm done, but I do think that anger tends to harden positions rather than open possibilities. With that in mind, I’ve chosen not to include the examples I initially planned to summarise; I want to check my own biases and avoid contributing, even unintentionally, to broader patterns of demonisation.

My main gripe with this book, however, is the lack of broader context. How does policing in other states and countries compare? What can we learn from different systems? The authors draw on their own experiences with the NYPD to suggest solutions, but these are questions that feel largely ignored & I do feel like it would have provided significant context to the wider problem.

[Fred Pandrok · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with so many things in today's society, policing is a terribly complicated subject.
The current policing configuration is not incentivized to change. There are too many financial and political reasons that the status quo is accepted and change is resisted. Bloated budgets, job security, political power, and many other factors don't want things to change.

The defund-the-police movement was rejected by America as a whole. But if you read this book with an open mind, you would understand that police reform is really needed, but that getting there faces incredible pushback from those in power. Realigning responsibilities, improving training, and adjusting expectations are pieces of the solution.

The police watch out for the police. Officers are reluctant to "narc" on their fellow officers for a multitude of reasons. This has always been a thorn in my side... I would think you would want the profession held in the highest regard, but police unions and lawyers representing those members don't see it that way.

The authors left what they thought would be the best way to address the crisis that exists, but it sure feels like an uphill battle at best, and I don't have much faith that it will happen soon.

[Caroline Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those rare books that manages to be both heavily researched and deeply human. Using New York City as a microcosm for larger national issues, the authors examine the realities of policing in America with clarity, nuance, and a sense of urgency- because, as they write, the face of American democracy is the police.

The book does a great job explaining the often-overlooked systems behind law enforcement, such as CompStat, have shaped entire communities. I was very impressed by the authors’ ability to take complex topics like crime statistics and make them accessible, whether you’re new to the conversation or have been following these issues for years.

This read is not for the faint of heart, but it is necessary. We cannot continue with band-aid “fixes” to our policing system, which continues to disproportionately and negatively impact our Black and brown populations. Cop Cop doesn’t shy away from our grim reality. And yet, it isn’t hopeless. Finch and Muir also offer a clear, practical roadmap for reform, one that balances ambition with realism.

READ THIS BOOK!

[Cornelia L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mac Muir and Greg Finch's "Cop Cop: Breaking the Fixed System of American Policing" is a crucial examination of modern policing challenges, rooted in the NYPD's historical and institutional culture. Drawing from their Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) investigations, the authors expose systemic issues of violence, racism, and corruption, vividly illustrated through real cases of police misconduct that traumatized and demeaned citizens.

"Cop Cop" stands out for its refusal to engage in polarized narratives, instead offering a rare look inside the workings of police oversight and the protective mechanisms of leadership and unions. The authors delineate six concrete proposals aimed at fostering meaningful change, which opens a vital conversation. These ideas compel us to reconsider what community safety truly means, who should participate in its definition and execution, and how we can collectively forge a path toward a more just and effective system of American policing. It is an urgent invitation for dialogue that is both urgent and necessary.

[Anne Janks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never a better moment to read this book - Mamdani's management of NYPD will be crucial to his adminstration. His retention of Tisch as a police commissioner has been hotly discussed. Read this book and you'll have insight to follow the upcoming events and analysis.
One thing you will definitely come away with is how much work is needed for any meaningful oversight of NYPD.
There was only point that didn't ring true for me (although I'm not a historian about cultrual influences in police departments) - Muir and Finch argue that the Irish-American cultural influence in NYPD created the culture of no-snitching and unwillingness to work with oversight. When I look at police departments with no appreciable Irish-American demographic, I see the same culture. Minor point but I guess it stuck in my craw.

[Chris Olmsted · Rating 5 out of 5]

I worked at the CCRB, alongside Investigators Muir and Finch, for three years. I found Cop Cop to be an accurate portrayal of what the job was like, and this look at how New York City has set up both its police and their civilian oversight to fail is a valuable read. Muir and Finch use their experiences to shape the book and provide narrative, but they avoid navel gazing. They present observations, criticisms, and opportunities with context, insight, and often humor.

Be advised, the book contains upsetting material. I never felt that the details included were gratuitous or played for shock value; in many CCRB cases the facts themselves are shocking.

Read this book. Challenge yourself to see it from all sides. You'll be well rewarded.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read. I worked at the CCRB alongside the authors and can vouch for this being an adequate depiction of the processes and challenges in police oversight. It’s rare to encounter a book that tells compelling stories that capture reality while also deftly weaving together larger insights about what truly perpetuates these unjust systems. This book has so much value as a record of one agency’s obstacles, but also of the greater context of policing, policing oversight, and public services more generally. The investigations are interwoven as vignettes to depict recurring patterns and themes and to represent the voice of civilians.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are not many places where you can get a real, raw depiction of policing or even the after affects of it, but this book breaks down everything for you - from the moment an officer approaches a civilian to the moment that a complaint is filed against that officer. This book highlights the professional experiences of these two authors to the point that it pushes the audience to explore on their own the complicated world of police oversight. I highly recommend reading this book if you want to find out what real policing is like. I can’t stop reading it and you will know why as soon as you start it. Great job!

[Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all understand, at least on some level, that the system is deeply flawed. That’s not the revelation. What stays with you is seeing how that dysfunction plays out in people’s lives—predictably, repeatedly, and with devastating impact. The stories in this book don’t just expose the imbalance or the absence of accountability—they quietly press you to examine your own tacit compliance. You feel it in the silence that follows harm, in the grief that goes unanswered, in the weight of injustice that no one seems in a rush to address. Absolutely worth the read.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating, at times both heart wrenching and enraging, look at policing from a unique perspective: the civilian oversight. Why, with such a seeming groundswell of support, have “reform” measures largely floundered to minimal effect? Cop Cop adds much needed nuance and clarity to the discussion from a unique perspective. Expert weaving of the personal stories from their work into the fabric of systemic examination provide a compelling read, with just enough history to dispel some common misconceptions while illuminating the deep rot in the system.

[Sophia Shah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book! As a civilian with not too much knowledge about policing, this book was super eye opening. The authors made this book super easy to read which I truly appreciated and I can definitely say I learned a lot. I think this is something that everyone should read so they can understand cops and the world of policing better. I also loved how they very clearly outlined what they think is wrong with policing and also provided their best solutions to those problems. Really great book!!! 10/10 recommend!

[John Converse]

The author portrays his frustrations serving as an investigator Civilian Complaint Review Board, an agency that does not seem well-designed or organized. His bias that any police use of force, indeed perhaps any enforcement taken against a minority, is an indication of police and societal racism detracts from his writing.

To my surprise and his credit, however, he does refute the alleged origin of most police agencies as supposed "slave patrols".

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cop Cop is as accessible as it is smart, drawing the reader into its fresh and much-needed perspective on the NYPD—and the justice system as a whole. Muir and Finch offer a direct, behind-the-scenes view that allows for deep thoughtfulness and nuance about their subject matter. I couldn’t put it down, and I’m excited to recommend to everyone.

[Lindsi K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! Yes! 10/10. If you have any interest in the criminal justice system—current state, issues, corruption, and/or proposed solutions (or even if you don’t), I’d ask you to read this book. This was such an enlightening read and it makes the path forward to a better system seem plausible. May we always challenge our assumptions and work toward a better, more just world for everyone.

[Wendy Torres-Badajoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

overall really good; a refreshing and sensible but human approach to police accountability that’s quite rare


I thought the reccomendations lacked context (like hire more female police officers but is it a hiring problem or a retention problem? And are they even applying or are they screened out at the application process)

[Michelle Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Unique perspective for how we can police the police. Highly recommend.

[Ashia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me a much clearer picture of how police oversight actually works. It’s thoughtful, well-written, and helped me understand things I’d only seen in the news.

[Temple · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not an attack, simply a reporting of truth. This was informative and infuriating. An exceptional read with very compelling solutions in the final chapters.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent, should be required reading for all high schoolers.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting proposed solutions and observations. While I don’t agree with everything I have read in this book, it was worth my time to read. It gets you thinking. Please use discernment and do your own research if you plan to read this book or others like it. Also, DON’T BE RACIST!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who watches the watchman? It’s an age-old philosophical question, and a conundrum Americans are all too familiar with. Cop Cop is the nonfiction account of the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) a system in place to handle police misconduct complaints. Mac Muir and Greg Finch, two CCRB employees have carefully documented nearly ten years of experience, charting the fraught relationships between Americans, police, and the bodies meant to govern them.

Cop Cop provided a unique insight into police culture, and reveals that culture plays a larger role in influencing police reform than governing bodies. Muir and Finch’s diagnosis of the system is bleak, but their vision is hopeful, suggesting methods for both over-haul and more realistic reform.

The text is grounded in real-life examples of police misconduct and behind-the-scenes views into the investigations that took place. These accounts will make you angry (if you weren’t already). The book primarily focuses on the NYPD, since this is where Muir and Finch worked, but the insight is relevant to individuals curious about police reform anywhere. The book dives into police history as well, and address various view points regarding policing’s dubious past.

What stood out to me was Muir and Finch’s take on the 2020 George Floyd protests, and the absence of true reform that followed, despite such a great public outcry. Their words frustrated me, as they rang true. I didn’t always like what the pair had to say, but I respected their bravery in telling it.

For anyone seriously interested in police reform, this is an important piece of the puzzle. A powerful look behind the “blue wall of silence.”

Thank you to Zando Projects for the gifted copy. Cop Cop is out now.

[Sarah Doyal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cop Cop is a great blend of human stories on both sides of policing along with the history of how we got here. The authors come from a place of real on-the-ground knowledge, which helps this book feel less like the critiques of a spectator, and more like an SOS signal from someone in the trenches. Highly recommend this book regardless of your starting POV on policing: our current system is broken on all sides, and is a function of a little-known (at least to me) history, and Cop Cop manages to bring clarity to both!

[Char · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the past decade there has been so much talk about police reform and how there needs to be more done as far holding them accountable while also letting them do their job. This book does a great job diving into all that from the viewpoint of 2 civilians who have been part of a team thats supposed to police the police. It goes into the how its been done, why its not working, the issues faced while trying to do it and wraps it up nicely with some ideas on how it could be done better. Well worth the read in my opinion